ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that Hillsborough, Manatee, and Taylor counties have been added as primary counties to the disaster declaration for Tropical Storm Debby that began on June 23, 2012 in Florida. Dixie and Sarasota counties are also added as neighboring counties making them eligible to small businesses only for Economic Injury Disaster Loans. SBA’s disaster assistance program is available to eligible homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and non-profit organizations.

Disaster survivors do not have to wait on insurance to be settled before applying to SBA. They can access an Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ and apply. SBA’s new online application is easier to read, and users can complete and submit the application more quickly. There’s a “help” link at the top of each page, which directs users to a place where they can get questions answered. SBA’s Customer Service Representatives are located at all of the Disaster Recovery Centers to provide one-on-one assistance with the application process and answer any questions. Homeowners and renters should first register with FEMA and apply with SBA if referred.

Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible up to $40,000 to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed personal property.

Businesses and private non-profit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. The SBA may increase a loan up to 20 percent of the total amount of disaster damage to real estate and/or leasehold improvements, as verified by SBA, to make improvements that lessen the risk of property damage by future disasters of the same kind.

For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes, the SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

Interest rates are as low as 1.938 percent for homeowners and renters, 3 percent for non-profit organizations and 4 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, call the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 800-621-FEMA (3362), (TTY) 800-462-7585 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Questions about the electronic loan application, details on the locations of Disaster Recovery Centers and information about the loan application process can be obtained by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an e-mail to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Sept 4, 2012. The deadline to return economic injury applications is April 3, 2013.

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For more information about the SBA’s Disaster Loan Program, visit our website at www.sba.gov.